


It Happened One Night

by samiraxlula



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood: Lost Days, Under the Red Hood
Genre: Jason Todd Has Issues, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Pre-Canon, Swearing, Thomas Elliot is Hush, everyone else is just mentioned, it's really only those two in this fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-02-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:20:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22853143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samiraxlula/pseuds/samiraxlula
Summary: “I can tell you what you need to know. You want to get to Batman. You want ‘inside his head’...” Jason stood with the moonlight to his back, the noise of the crime-filled streets below echoing his words with a cruel finality.“I can get you that.”In which Jason meets Hush. Pre-Hush and Under the Red Hood.
Relationships: Thomas Elliot & Jason Todd
Kudos: 30





	It Happened One Night

Disgruntled and agitated, a man sat atop a bar stool in the corner of a decently crowded bar. The patrons were drinking and chatting; pool, darts and karaoke all factors in contributing to the general rowdy feeling. 

Sitting on a bar stool with his fingers curled around the glass of an icy beer, the completely bandaged man oddly didn’t look too out of place in an establishment of men in bright green and purple suits, obsessively on par identical twins and freakishly muscular types — one of the few henchmen dive bars around the inner city.

“Fuckin’ Gotham…” The man muttered, as if in disgust of all life forms within the city. 

“Tell me about it.” An unknown figure wearing a red domino mask spoke, holding out his shot glass of whiskey in agreeance to the elder’s voiced thoughts. “Though there’s something about this crazy-town that keeps you crawling back no matter how hard you try to escape.”

Thomas Elliot hadn’t even noticed when he approached. 

He seemed young. A teenager? Around eighteen, he supposed as he eyed the black leather jacket and jeans. There were a few white wisps of hair on his head which made the doctor in him want to diagnose the condition although it was most likely just a simple case of poliosis or a vitamin b-12 deficiency. 

Thomas spoke back, his tone low, gravelly and deep as he tilted his glass back, letting the golden liquid run down his throat. “This ‘town’ has long been a blemish on the Earth’s surface. Makes you question the sanity of people who’d bother to protect this filth.”

“Like the Bat, you mean.” A chuckle of cold, oily amusement came from the boy as though he were in on some inside joke. “Well, you were friends with him at one point, so you should know how inane the man can be.”

The atmosphere made itself known as the doctor’s eyes narrowed upon the familiarity of the statement. “And pray tell. What would make you think I was ever _friends_ with the Batman?” The absolute revulsion at the word was obvious. 

“Well, what does it matter what you used to be.” The masked male patted what was similar to a dark red motorcycle helmet on the stool next to him, relaxed in a subtly confident manner while ignoring the question. “Now you want him gone.”

Resting his cheek on his fist, he looked almost childishly mischievous as he took note of Thomas’s hand disappearing into his pocket. “I have a proposition for you, Doctor Elliot. If you’re interested, that is.”

“And who exactly is this proposition coming from?”

“Well, this is an awkward way to introduce myself, but have you ever met a ghost?”

“Can’t say I have.” Suspicion practically dripped off his words, though he did loosen his grip on the knife hidden within his trenchcoat. 

“How exactly do you plan to do this? You can’t honestly expect that you’ll be able to kill Batman when so many others better trained and equipped with more than a scalpel have failed.”

Staring at the boy blankly for a minute before a laugh broke out, Thomas gave a slight tilt of his head, eyes examining him. “And a child like yourself thinks you can help me do what others couldn’t.”

“I know things you and a lot of others don’t. Which makes me a very valuable ally.” 

Peeling off his domino mask, it wasn’t hard for Thomas Elliot to recognize the face, though it was quite a surprise to him. After all, for someone so obsessed with getting rid of Bruce Wayne, his children were someone he had taken note of. And although Nygma had explained how he cheated his own death by cancer, Thomas hadn’t thought you could come back from it completely as it appeared Bruce’s second child had.

“So...care to take this elsewhere?” Jason smiled after the pause.

*

Many rooftops and gargoyles away, drifting in and out amongst the darkened clouds, Jason Todd repositioned the domino mask which covered his eyes that were fixated on the symbol that had been lit and held itself high in the sky — bright and imposing. It still left his heart racing even after all these years. 

When Talia had told him he should meet with ‘Hush,’ he wasn’t sure what to make of it at first. She had always sent him in the right direction, but a doctor from Philadelphia with anger issues against a childhood friend was someone he’d have to see first hand the level of usefulness he could bring.

He’d never met or even heard of Elliot growing up with Bruce, but while researching him it turned out that he had been one of Bruce’s closest friends growing up. And that would prove a useful distraction to Bruce while Jason took the opportunity to work behind the scenes, setting up his own entrance back into the Gotham scene. 

“Now, just what exactly is having the help of Jason _Wayne_ going to cost me?”

“Nothing. All I want is to have my pound of flesh in person when the time comes.” Jason stood with the moonlight to his back, the noise of the crime-filled streets below echoing his words with a cruel finality.

“You’ll forgive me for not fulling trusting a son of Wayne.” 

“And here I thought I found a kindred spirit in the business of parricide...” Jason tutted, not bothered in the least by the mistrust. “I honestly don’t care about trust and neither should you. What matters here is how useful we can both be to each other.”

“Heh. I suppose I can’t disagree with that point of logic.” Thomas jerked back, quickly throwing a right kick at his side followed by a swing of his left fist in hopes to catch the younger would-be ally off guard.

But Jason had trained much longer and thoroughly than Thomas had, and recognizing the look; he had told him everything he needed to know by doing so, wrapping his own hand around his křis dagger and pivoting away from the left fist while sliding the blade against the bandages of his throat, a few coming undone.

A breeze flew between them, the intense staredown only being broken by the new feeling of the cold end of a gun against Jason’s temple. 

“I’m not someone afraid of death, Doctor Elliot.” His features registered no fear, no concern, poker-faced as he spoke nonchalantly. “Already been there and done that.” He shrugged one shoulder as the two lowered their weapons but kept the same proximity.

“Hrm. I think we’ll work well together.” A slow smile came over Hush's features as he extended a hand towards the Red Hood, who shook it in agreeance.


End file.
